We did not have an O.F.F.C. meeting this week. Don, our president, could not contact any of the three venues we have on the phone to confirm availability. We are still searching for a venue for next week's Unlimited Scale contest. Panorama is unsuitable being the smallest venue we fly in since some of the indoor scale ships have 30 inch wing spans and do not turn that tight, and it has a really fierce air conditioning system that we cannot shut off for the contest. The floor replacement at Stonehurst is progressing slower than predicted and painting the markings on the new floor may still be in progress next week. We have not yet heard if Branford will be available. We have approached the CD, Bill Watson, with the possibility of having the contest outdoors at Stonehurst or postponing it again. Will post the decision by Tuesday.

OK, I did compete in the Unlimited Scale contest on September 26th, but did so badly that I was embarrassed to post about it. For continuity's sake I may as well get it over with.

The contest was, indeed, held outdoors at Stonehurst. It really was a beautiful morning, clear, and only a slight breeze. The wind held off until 11:00 AM. Eight people flew but there were 13 models. Amazingly enough, Bill Watson brought only one entry. Dave Gee brought a Dumas T-34 and a Clipped Wing Monocoupe. Barry Dougherty brought a Piper Cub as did Bill Watson and Don Butman who brought two and a peanut Pilatus Porter. Don Smith had a Comet Porterfield. Don Martin showed up with a Guillow's Cessna 180 and Hugh Lnaghans ahd an Aeronca Champ. I had nothing new to fly my SE5 being framed but uncovered (I did start the covering at the AMA EXPO but that's a post of another thread.) so I took a couple of my Beaver prototypes and a Pilatus Porter prototype down from the ceiling and put fresh rubber in them.

The strange thing was that with all the experience there and good weather everyone was having trouble getting anything to fly. It was nearly the end of the session when models started flying. Scale judging was a Mooney linup

My Porter and one of my Beavers ended up cartwheeling in and tearing their wings off. Should have left them on the ceiling. Six years ago, when they were built, I could get a minute out of them. Oh, Well!

I did not go to the Mini-Stick contest on October 31. It was Halloween and I had to put up the decorations before the Trick-or-Treating started. No one gave me any pictures or any times. The results were:

1. Bill Watson2. Bill Watson (With so few entries the CD decided to let both of his count.)3. Jim Leuken4.Bud Matthews5.Don Butman

The next contest, No-Cal Scale, will be on November 28. With the Pearl Harbor No-Cal contest coming up on December 7 I expect that there will be many Pearl Harbor models at this contest.

Time to catch up with the year. When we last left our intrepid fliers they were getting ready for the No-Cal Scale contest at the end of November. The usual location, Stonehurst Rec Center gym, was available. After the one hour meeting the contest commenced.

Firstly, the designated CD was not present. Kurt Young, who did not bring a model, "volunteered" to be the CD, record keeper and timer. The contest, for some reason (Remember, we're a bunch of old guys, @#%^ happens!), was not as well attended as one expects for a No-Cal contest with only five members bringing models. Some brought more than one, but the CD decided only the best flying model counted for scoring.

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The only new models were the Zero by Bill Watson and the Heinkel 119 by Dave Gee. Bill also brought a Fike which is usually a "sure thing" at a No-Cal contest. The Heinkel, by proportion and layout, and at just over 5 grams, looked like a sure thing but proved almost impossible to trim.

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Jim Leuken brought a Bucker Jungmeister being proxy flown for Dave Saks. Jim Leuken's gentle flying Bleriot pusher (A model of the first airplane Bleriot actually got to fly, although the No-Cal model can stay in the air longer than the real airplane.) has been at previous contests.

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Don Butman's PZL (Actually, he, being a bit OCD, brought two of them.) is an extremely reliable flier.

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I was going to bring my new F2A to fly and trim for the upcoming Pearl Harbor contest, but since I had not built it yet I patched up my much trashed, old P-36/Hawk 75 with Scotch Tape and tissue and flew it.

The December contest is, as usual, the Ed Slobad Memorial R.O.G. Unlimited contest for any rubber powered model that will R.O.G. This can be very interesting since the Penny Planes with landing gear don't always win.

The December O.F.F.C. contest is ROG Unlimited. The CD is listed as Ed Slobod (FBTG). The FBTG stands from From Beyond The Grave since the contest is a memorial to Ed. The contest is for any rubber powered model airplane that will ROG. It was held on Boxing Day this year and was attended and due to timing and circumstances attracted five entries.

Bill Watson flew a model that he designed just for the contest. It was a small ROG with film covered wings and a rolled tube motor stick. His best two out of five flight score was 341.4 seconds! That’s 5 minutes and 69 seconds in the Stonehurst gym with the air conditioner/heater running. His best flight was a little over 4 minutes.

Joe Whiting came In second at 107.2 seconds flying an Embryo. I was third at 80.2 seconds flying an old Minnow with patched tissue and wings that had so many breaks that half the weight of the airframe was glue. Don Smith had an equally old Minnow. I had to leave early so I don’t know the significance of the notation on the timing sheet “STOMPED ON PLANE” in the third flight column in Don’s row. Winn Hammer got in some flights but could not get the model to ROG.

The first O.F.F.C . contest of 2019 was for the old, reliable Minnows. On Wednesday, January 30 seven members battled for supremacy. It’s hard to get a really bad flight with a Minnow but getting great flights under a 24 foot ceiling that only has 22 feet of clear space (Yes, the dangling halogen lights are an improvement…Not!) takes real skill and some luck. Some of us were flying new ones built in the last two weeks and some old and patched.

The second O.F.F.C. contest of the year, Bostonian, was held on February 27th. Hugh Langhans was the CD.

There was a mix of new and old reliable models. Bill Watson brought a new model that was not only a brilliant example of a built to the rules Bostonian but used innovative structural techniques. Other models, new or not, were proven designs. Bill also brought a Bostonian T-craft. I don't know which one he got his best flight with.

I flew my original Irish Jumping Bean but only got two flights with it. The first was under wound and too short. The second was over wound and made like a pinball between the lights hanging from the ceiling. I figured I had the winding dialed in but while putting in in the stooge to wind for my third flight I broke the wing tip and while trying to fix that broke the landing gear out of the fuselage. (I didn't start flying indoor until 2009 and don't have well developed motion control synergies for handling smaller, relatively delicate models. Have to work on this. Getting old ain't for sissies!) Oh, well, I have another Jumping Bean on the bench and I had to leave early anyway.

The pictures are Pete Basone waiting his turn to fly, Bill Watson with his new model, Bill's Bostonian T-craft, the timing table with Kurt Young, StanChristopher, Hugh Langhans timing and John Veal watching. When I get the group picture I will post it.

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The next contest will be Build-On-Site Delta Dart. Materials supplied by CD but we can bring our own rubber. Should be interesting!